Blogging has various meanings to different people. For those who know nothing about the industry, it looks rather lucrative on the outside, like we get free things ever single day and that we have the most amazing lifestyle. Well, part of that is true, but there's a whole hidden aspect to blogging that many people do not realise - the workload, the dedication and the pressure of being a blogger in the first place.
I decided to write this post after a spur of tweets hit my Twitter timeline asking what blogging is really about. Are all bloggers blaggers? Where do bloggers stand at fashion week? And can blogging be a real job? The worst tweet I came across was 'Bloggers - get a real job'. Although a high percentage of bloggers write for a hobby, blogging still falls under a similar category to journalism and with dedication can be a real job. So here are my thoughts on what blogging is all about. These views are highly subjective and are of my own opinion, not necessarily everyone else.
Forevermissvanity on...'Freebies'
I'm going to start this by saying bloggers very rarely get 'freebies', as in items they do not have to spend hours writing about, creating imagery and sharing via social media. If you are on about samples, well yes, we can get quite a lot of them throughout our blogging lifetime. Bloggers including myself can spend easily up to several hours a day creating a blog post, putting stress on university or work life and often relationships. When you are writing about product, it is important to spend a lot of time on the post to make sure it is factually accurate, makes sense and gives a completely honest view, receiving an sample can easily equate to what is essentially payment for putting the hours into a blog. Do samples make a blog? No, not at all. There is a myth amongst new bloggers that you haven't made it unless you have PRs sending you products every single day and it is not true. I spent almost two years blogging solidly without anything from companies. I would write about things that would interest me and items I had shopped for. Of course it is nice to get the odd product, but captivating an audience with thoughtful content is far more important when it comes to blogging.
Forevermissvanity on...'Blogging for Money'
It is frowned upon amongst many bloggers to admit that you would like to make money from blogging and I can't understand why? We are still in a recession, there are many people claiming benefits and there are no jobs out there. Why should we stand in front of people who are trying their hardest to make a little bit of cash to get by? After all, if you are wanting a honest, less PR based blog products must be bought somehow and some people are not lucky enough to have found employment. What really grinds on me are the people that simply get into blogging for the money. It isn't easy to make money from a blog and there is no guarantee you will even make a penny, so write because you love to write and hopefully you will reap the awards. I have two part-time jobs alongside university and blogging and I would not give them up to rely on my blog income.
Forevermissvanity on...'Fashion Week'
I have been lucky enough to attend fashion week three times in the few years that I have been blogging and I was even invited this February, but unfortunately I couldn't attend. Is it a right of a blogger to attend fashion week? No. Bloggers are fast becoming a new source of fashion news and are highly regarded, but fashion week is a trade event. It is where the magazines source all their material, where buyers can go and stock their shops up and for designers to showcase their latest designs. Bloggers who attend fashion week need to take their role as part of the press seriously. There have been many examples of bloggers attending fashion week and not even writing about the designers. This means an upcoming brand is missing out on vital press.
Forevermissvanity on...Blogging Competitiveness and Followers
Blogging isn't amount the amount of followers you have, it is about the amount of active readers you have on your blog. A number is simply a number. You could have 5,000 followers and have zero comments on your blog and you could have 100 followers with 50 dedicated readers every week. I have been blogging for three years and I don't have the biggest following, but I'm happy with all the followers I have. I love seeing familiar faces pop up in my inbox and I know that I have gained the trust of quite a few loyal readers. I really dislike competitiveness when it comes to blogging. We have all started somewhere and not all of us want to go in the same direction. Blogging should be a supportive network of people, who all love to write and write passionately about their hobbies and the things they love. I would like to think that a blogger with very little followers would find me approachable and helpful, rather than shy away due to my following. I have felt highly intimated by blogs with big followers in the past, but as time has gone by, I now think I was really silly to be like that.
Forevermissvanity...The Right Reasons to Blog
There is no right or wrong reason to blog. If you want to be successful, there's nothing wrong with trying. If you like to write and that is all you care about, that's fabulous. We all have our own reasons for blogging and should never be felt put in a corner for them. Be proud of your blog and the reasons why you blog. I have grown up loving writing, I want writing to be my career and I blog because I love everything about blogging.
How do you feel about bloggers?
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